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Posted Mon Apr 28 18:19:35 EAT 2014

The Anglo Leasing ghosts have a real reason to smile all the way to the bank

Former Ethics and Governance Permanent Secretary John Githongo at Milimani Law Court on the 28th of November, 2013 during the hearing of a case where Former Minister Chris Murungaru sued him for defamation over the Anglo Leasing Scandal. PHOTO/EVANS HABIL

By MACHARIA GAITHO

In Summary

The aggrieved beneficiaries went to court and won damages against the government for breach of contract.

It’s not about the original sin, but one compounded by what can only have been deliberate refusal to offer robust legal defences.

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I have previously expressed fear on this space that corruption is making a big-time comeback under the UhuRuto regime.

Buccaneers of Anglo-Leasing infamy have been trolling the corridors of power with renewed swagger, after having been banished to the sidelines once the scandal blew up in President Kibaki’s face.

All manner of shady wheeler-dealers offering their unique skills have been welcomed with open arms by the movers and shakers in the Jubilee government.

They have easy access to all the important offices, and it has again become the norm for investors from China, India, Europe, the United States, the Middle East and anywhere else looking entry into Kenya not to find open doors unless they go through the briefcase intermediaries.

The unconventional methods of doing business outside all known transparency and accountability mechanisms are already causing major headaches for President Uhuru Kenyatta ‘s government, as evidenced by the laptops fiasco and continuing questions over the proposed Mombasa-Nairobi-Malaba railway.

The giant Lamu Port-South Sudan-Ethiopia project will face similar problems if a group of “businessmen” recently granted audience ay State House have their way in the quest for contracts outside lawful procurement systems.

With such skulduggery taking root, it is not surprising to see the government proposing to pay billions for supposedly cancelled projects under the Anglo Leasing umbrella.

Many years have passed since the Treasury under the Kibaki regime conned Kenyans that the corrupt projects had been scrapped, government promissory notes cancelled or advance payments returned by ghost companies.

Many in the know at the time pointed out alleged refunds were just part of the cover-up, and that the government had no powers to unilaterally cancel the promissory notes dished out like confetti.

The Anglo Leasing ghost is now coming to haunt the Kenyatta government, but instead of calling in the ghost-busters, the Treasury is bending over backwards in their zeal to pay for projects long deemed as corrupt or non-existent.